12 Holiday Hacks for Decking the Halls

If you love decorating for the holidays, but don’t love how expensive it can be, you’re in luck! We’ve rounded up some money-saving holiday decorating tips and tricks to help you get into the holiday spirit on a budget.

Bake some new holiday ornaments. You can whip up some goodies to surprise your neighbors and save money on tree decorations at the same time. Just set aside some of your cutout cookies and paint them with 3 coats of varnish.
Make snowmen out of Halloween pumpkins. Before you throw away your left over uncarved pumpkins from Halloween, why not reuse them for the holidays? Paint them white and stack three together. Then paint on eyes, a nose and buttons. Voila…you have a snowman!
Decorate your table with tree trimmings. If your family brings home a live Christmas tree each year, cut two or three sprigs off and place them in a vase for a festive and easy centerpiece.

Make ornaments from cookie cutters. New tree ornaments can get expensive, so make your own. Buy some budget cookie cutters in holiday shapes and spray paint them in shiny hues.
Send holiday greetings on postcards. If you’re mailing cards to all your friends and relatives, the postage costs can add up. You can save money on postage by sending postcards in place of traditional greeting cards.
Enjoy free holiday music. If you want to fill your home with the sounds of the season, there’s no need to buy holiday CDs. Download a free music app such as Pandora or Google Play Music for all the carols you could ever want.

Turn your home into a winter wonderland. What child doesn’t love using scissors and paper to make snowflakes? Have a snowflake-making contest and string them together for festive DIY garlands.

Design your own snow jar. Pour some Epsom salts into an empty jar and add a couple miniature trees or figurines or to make a winter terrarium.
Count down the days with a homemade Advent calendar. No need to spend money on a store-bought Advent calendar. Hang small envelopes in an old picture frame or string them together and place candy or trinkets in each envelope. Mark the envelopes with numbers 1 through 25, and use stamps or stickers to add a little more cheer.
Use gift bows to make a wreath. Gather all the gift bows you have lying around from holidays past, and use a hot glue gun to attach them to a Styrofoam wreath form from your local craft supply store.
Use Scrabble tiles for place settings. Make it easy for family and friends to find their seats at your holiday table by spelling out names with Scrabble tiles.
Get creative with wrapping paper. Tired of spending money on fancy wrapping paper only for it to be shredded when the gifts are opened? Repurpose old maps, craft paper or newspapers for creative, budget-friendly gift wrap.